Saturday, November 20, 2010

Paddling like a hamster

The weather on our third (and last) day in Jervis Bay was finally warm-ish enough for us to go kayaking with Kai in the bay near our Bay of Plenty Lodges.

The kayaks were rented free of charge to guests, which I thought was such a lovely gesture. The bay was just a short 5 minutes walk from our cabin and it took Terence and I about 15 minutes to haul two kayaks down to the bay which was just a few steps away from where the kayaks were kept. The water was clear, a light breeze was blowing across the bay, and it was calm. Absolutely nothing that would spell disaster.

In fact it was a perfect setting for Kai's first time in a kayak, and he was thrilled to bits.

But as we paddled, we noticed that the tide was coming in and the current was carrying us very quickly towards the opposite side of the bay. That was when Terence said it was time to call it a day and I remembered words like "danger", "strong currents", and "be careful" coming out of his moving mouth. How they all got strung together I can't remember because I was already trying to paddle back to shore like a mad woman and I was NOT moving. The current was against me all the time.

I felt like a hamster running in its own exercise wheel. So much energy spent but the hamster's going no where and neither was I. I was in my version of caged up, hamster hell. And whenever I stop paddling, the current would push me further and further away from where I want to go. Terence and Kai were getting smaller and smaller. Then they disappeared.

I paddled. I cursed. I paddled. I cursed.

Then I thought, "To hell with it." I got out of the kayak and WALKED, dragging the kayak behind me. The water was shallow enough to walk yet deep enough to dip the oars in. How unglamorous.

I dragged the kayak to a part of the bay where the current wasn't so strong (and the water deeper) and paddled quickly back. Terence was about to launch his rescue mission after dropping Kai off in our cabin, but he came back just in time to see his tired wife hit the shore in her kayak.

I don't remember what I was doing when Terence took this picture^. All I can say is that the whole experience was lovely enough but I am no national sailor.